Newbie From Silicon Valley

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[Wahl]

Hi Elisabeth,

[e-beth]

 

By all means support your local store, but don't limit yourself to them either, Goulet Pens has ink samples you can buy, Amazon of course and there's always e-bay! I've gotten to know my local letter carrier very well! I don't have, or at least have been unable to find a pen shop in my area, but there is an art supply store, it never occurred to me that they might have pen related things there! I've heard of the pipet method, but I was given an old antique glass syringe with a couple of needles that works great, the ink doesn't stain the glass and I got some plastic syringes from Goulet Pens for general cleaning. Welcome to FPN!

 

Kathy

 

 

There aren't so many fountain pens at the art store but they have a large supply of dip nibs, nib holders, and inks so I go there for that. They also have calligraphy markers that I use with the children I work with in Sunday school (I'm not so keen on the markers for myself but they are good for the kids since we are a little nervous about the kids breaking a pen and getting ink everywhere). It may help that one of the employees there is a calligrapher, so they may be more attuned to calligraphy supplies than the average art store.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

[e-beth]

The SF Pen Posse meets in Millbrae, and coincidentally, the next get together is on Sunday June 21.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/292255-pen-posse-rant-and-rave-edition/

 

Book your calendar for the SF Pen Show in Redwood Shores, Aug 28-30

www.SFPenShow.com

Save your pennies, you will be like a kid in a candy store, I was.

 

I wanted to go to the Pen Posse meeting but I didn't think it was fair to abandon my husband with the three year old on Father's Day. Maybe I'll be able to make it to the next meeting!

[Starguard]

 

 

There aren't so many fountain pens at the art store but they have a large supply of dip nibs, nib holders, and inks so I go there for that. They also have calligraphy markers that I use with the children I work with in Sunday school (I'm not so keen on the markers for myself but they are good for the kids since we are a little nervous about the kids breaking a pen and getting ink everywhere). It may help that one of the employees there is a calligrapher, so they may be more attuned to calligraphy supplies than the average art store.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

 

Yes, kids and ink....(shudder) that could be epic and not in a good way! On the other hand, most inks are water soluble, so unless you're using a permanent ink, or an iron gall ink it would be spectacular, but not permanent! Markers are an excellent solution! I'm hoping to set aside some time on my next weekend to go check out my local art store, I meant to this last weekend but got sidetracked. I never would have thought to even look there, thank you for the tip! Even if there isn't anything there it's worth looking at.

 

Kathy

[H1N]

Hello & welcome to FPN

[e-beth]

 

Yes, kids and ink....(shudder) that could be epic and not in a good way! On the other hand, most inks are water soluble, so unless you're using a permanent ink, or an iron gall ink it would be spectacular, but not permanent! Markers are an excellent solution! I'm hoping to set aside some time on my next weekend to go check out my local art store, I meant to this last weekend but got sidetracked. I never would have thought to even look there, thank you for the tip! Even if there isn't anything there it's worth looking at.

 

Kathy

 

Ink: The area is carpeted, which is the main worry. If it was tile or hardwood, I wouldn't worry as much, though I would probably make them wear smocks! If using real pens and ink were possible, I'd still start with markers and use the "fancy pens" as incentive for practice (as in "work through all of the practice sheets and then you will get to use the fun stuff").

 

Art store: Did you get a chance to check it out? I went to mine on Friday and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had reorganized and restocked the nibs for the dip pens. I didn't get much time to look around, though, since my daughter was amusing herself by taking all of the ink bottles off of the shelf and lining them up on the floor!

[Hakninja]

Welcome Ms Elizabeth. I have been wanting to try a Lamy Safari for a while now but I'm not sure I would like the grip. Was it difficult for you to get used to it?

[e-beth]

Welcome Ms Elizabeth. I have been wanting to try a Lamy Safari for a while now but I'm not sure I would like the grip. Was it difficult for you to get used to it?

 

 

The Safari has been a bit difficult to get used to because of the way I mostly usually grip my pens. I use the quadrigrip, meaning that both my index finger and my middle finger rest on the top of the pen and since I have rather large hands for a woman, it gets a little crowded in that spot with both of my fingers there. This is a problem I have with all pens with a specially shaped grip. If I use the tripod grip (index finger only on the top of the pen), the pen is slightly more comfortable in my hand but then my handwriting is all over the place! I would like to find a pen that is a bit more comfortable, but I am waiting for the SF Pen Show in August so that I can hold and try some different pens before I buy one.

[Starguard]

 

Ink: The area is carpeted, which is the main worry. If it was tile or hardwood, I wouldn't worry as much, though I would probably make them wear smocks! If using real pens and ink were possible, I'd still start with markers and use the "fancy pens" as incentive for practice (as in "work through all of the practice sheets and then you will get to use the fun stuff").

 

Art store: Did you get a chance to check it out? I went to mine on Friday and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had reorganized and restocked the nibs for the dip pens. I didn't get much time to look around, though, since my daughter was amusing herself by taking all of the ink bottles off of the shelf and lining them up on the floor!

 

No, I didn't but I did have a chance to browse through a Craft Warehouse on Friday, they have some fun stuff there, but nothing for the FP geek in me

 

Kathy

[Starguard]

 

 

The Safari has been a bit difficult to get used to because of the way I mostly usually grip my pens. I use the quadrigrip, meaning that both my index finger and my middle finger rest on the top of the pen and since I have rather large hands for a woman, it gets a little crowded in that spot with both of my fingers there. This is a problem I have with all pens with a specially shaped grip. If I use the tripod grip (index finger only on the top of the pen), the pen is slightly more comfortable in my hand but then my handwriting is all over the place! I would like to find a pen that is a bit more comfortable, but I am waiting for the SF Pen Show in August so that I can hold and try some different pens before I buy one.

 

If the grip is the problem, another really good starter pen is the Pilot Metropolitan, I love mine, and it comes in a fine and a medium nib, that might be a little more grip friendly and they are much less expensive than the safari. I like mine and I don't mind the grip on the safari but I like the Pilot just a scosh more.

[ac12]

 

 

I wanted to go to the Pen Posse meeting but I didn't think it was fair to abandon my husband with the three year old on Father's Day. Maybe I'll be able to make it to the next meeting!

 

Next one is on July 5th.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/292947-s-f-pen-posse-straits-pen-edition-part-3-july-5/

Sunny from Straits Pens in Singapore is bringing ink and pens. He posted a link to a list of stuff he plans to bring. This will be like a micro-pen show.

 

And the PPPC meeting is on July 18th.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/293098-pen-club-pppc-on-july-18-in-berkeley-ca/

The PPPC meeting is really a mini-pen show, so bring $$